LETTER TO EDITOR: Brian Adams Announces Run For Berkeley Co. Sheriff

Dear Berkeley County residents,

I appreciate the opportunity to provide information about myself and my campaign for Berkeley County Sheriff. As we did in the campaign for the primary election last year, I will run a positive campaign for Sheriff of Berkeley County. I’m excited and prepared to embark upon this endeavor.

I, along with my wife and our four children, live in Goose Creek and I have been a Berkeley County resident for 38 years. I am a member of the F.O.P. (Fraternal Order of Police), the Lions Club of Goose Creek and my family and I are members of Bethany United Methodist Church in Summerville. Prior to becoming a police officer, I was a volunteer fireman at Caromi Fire Department and also worked to become an EMT with Berkeley County EMS. However, since a child, law enforcement has been my true calling and I now currently have 23 years of law enforcement experience.

My career began with the City of Goose Creek where I gained valuable knowledge and experience, especially developing skills of how to work with communities, community leaders, business owners and others outside of law enforcement. With gratitude to the City of Goose Creek Police Department, I decided to change departments for a different experience. I have spent the remainder of my career with North Charleston Police Department.

Both departments have made me a better public servant. I am honored to be a North Charleston Police Officer in which I have further expanded my experiences working with communities, businesses, community and church leaders in addition to working investigation, narcotics, street crime units, vice and patrol. Most of my experience has been on specialized units including, Narcotics, Detectives, S.P.E.E.D Team and Fugitive Task Force. I am currently a Lieutenant and watch commander for the evening shift. I sit on the board and am an instructor with the (L.E.C.C.) Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee in Columbia, for Drug Commanders. I am familiar with the accreditation process including the reporting system and maintaining the accredited status through inspections, reporting and verifying policies so they fall within the guidelines and standards with CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies).

Numerous training classes for leadership development have increased my abilities to work with a variety of people. It has been my pleasure to be involved with programs that assist younger people with changing their direction in life to become a more productive member of society. I believe my twenty-three years in law enforcement has made me a well-rounded candidate and has provided me with valuable experience and proactive leadership qualities.

My ideas for opportunities for the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office include:

Provide a better service- Return more deputies to patrol which increases visibility of police presence in the community to help deter crime. Berkeley County residents, whether in rural areas or more populated areas, deserve quality public safety and timely police services. Currently, BCSO is top heavy with too many administrative positions and not enough deputies on patrol where their services are needed for citizen response and as a first line of defense against crime, especially for such a large county. Many of these positions should return to patrol to increase the amount of deputies on the road, for their safety, by increasing backup.

Work with communities-building relations and communication-. Work with community groups, businesses, churches, schools and civic groups. Implement an Officer Communication program along with a Community Service Officer program.

Restore integrity, professionalism and trust-. The Sheriff’s office will support County Council by attending council meetings and working with them to better Berkeley County. Hold the Sheriff’s Office command staff accountable for decisions and actions. Utilize special enforcement teams to work directly with council members and community members.

Improve the Berkeley County Detention Center– The jail has not been utilized to its full potential and only one floor has been used in two years since the completion of the addition which has been sitting vacant for five years, lending to deterioration and upkeep, and wasting tax payer’s money. The turnover rate in the past two years at the detention center is incredibly excessive, raising the training budget and causing unsafe environments due to lack of experience, including making overtime mandatory.

One way I distinguish myself from the other candidates is by providing ideas as a means of proving I am committed to constructive concepts to become possible solutions. By putting action behind the words, my aim is to implement ideas to work as your sheriff and with the employees of the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office so that we may begin to restore the integrity of the office and work to providing a better service to those that work, live and enjoy our county.

I humbly ask for your vote on April 21^st to elect me, Brian Adams, for Berkeley County Sheriff.

Sincerely,

Brian Adams

Candidate for Sheriff

FB or www.brianadamsforsheriff.com

843-209-7716

(Note: ‘Letters To The Editor’ do not represent endorsements by ‘The Berkeley Observer’)